Aircraft model
MOONEY M20F
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Mooney Executive, introduced in 1967, is the M20E stretched by ten inches with more rear legroom, a third cabin window and 64 gallons of fuel instead of 52. It gives up about five knots to the short-body aircraft and gains a great deal in usability: nearly a thousand nautical miles of range, and a back seat adults can actually occupy for a few hours. For most buyers it is the better aeroplane. It was built in two periods. The Executive 21 of 1967 to 1970 — the 1967 run alone was over five hundred aircraft — has the one-piece windscreen from 1969 onward and either manual or electric gear depending on the year. Nothing was built in 1972 and 1973; the Executive returned in 1974 under restored Mooney ownership and was built until 1977, when the 201 replaced it. A 1975 Executive is mechanically a late-1960s aeroplane with a newer interior.
It is one of the best value-for-money travelling machines available — 155 knots on ten gallons an hour with four seats, for the price of a tired 172. The compromises remain Mooney compromises. The cabin is still narrow and you sit low with your legs forward. Speed control on final is critical because the aeroplane is clean and will float. Wet-wing fuel tank sealant leaks are a well-documented recurring expense across the type and a reseal is a five-figure job. Landing gear shock discs, corrosion in the steel tube cabin structure, and the state of the gear retraction system are the pre-purchase priorities. A complex endorsement is required; no high-performance endorsement applies at 200 hp.
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming IO-360-A1A |
| Horsepower | 200 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1967 |
| Production end | 1977 |
| Endorsements required | complex |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 155 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 950 nm |
| Service ceiling | 17,500 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,120 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 55 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,500 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,220 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,100 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 716 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,740 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,640 lb |
| Usable fuel | 64 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 11.2 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $60,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $160,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 2,000 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $34,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $48,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 1,173 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 721 |
| Median year built | 1967.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 19 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 5 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 26.35 per 1,000 active · base 721 active |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 23.58 per 1,000 active · base 721 active |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 156 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 21.64 per 100 active · base 721 active |
| Airworthiness directives | 6 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 1 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
Peer scores
A score runs from 0 to 10 within the model's peer class: a position, not a grade, and the six are never added together.
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 6.5 of 10 · class median 28.36 · 202 models in class |
| Severity | 2 of 10 · class median 11.65 |
| Access | 3.5 of 10 · class median 767.75 |
| Support | 8.6 of 10 · class median 141.5 |
| Liquidity | 6.7 of 10 · class median 19.57 |